Hopper, drier, and roaster



May 6, 1-930.

' I HOPPER, DRIER, AND ROASTER Filed June 10, 1927 J. P. BUNCE 1,757,616

Patented May 6, "1 930 JOHN P. Boner," or cnnnnronn, ENGLAND,

HOPPER, DRIER, Ann Ro'As'rER" Application filed June i This invention relates to hoppers adapted to contain a supply of flowable solidmate rial, as materialin small pieces or particles, from which the material is adapted to flow by gravity in a continuous stream; and'to continuous driers and roasters for suchmate'rial wherein the material to be dried and roasted is supported .in' a more orless' vertical column and'is adapted to move continuallydown l0 ward by gravityand to clischargeacontinuous stream of dried and roasted material from the lower end of the column. V c

The invention has particular reference to I the drying and roasting of cocoa beans and nibs, although not limited to such material. When material composed of small pieces or particles is supported in a relatively high column considerable diflicultyis experienced in withdrawing a continuous streamof the-ma terial by gravityfromthe bottom of the col- V umn due to the packing of the material by its weight to form anarch between the side walls over the discharge opening, which arch supports the column of material thereabove and prevents the free flow of the material.

It is an objectof this invention to provide a chamber or stack for ahopper, drier or roaster adapted to support alvertical column of material, as cocoa beans or nibs with means to, in effect, separate the column into a plurality of superposedv short: columns,- the heights of: which are adaptedto be sufficiently small to prevent packing of the material, combined with power-actuated means to maintain the material in the short columns apertured partition-plates, or""'diaphragms,,

extended transversely (across the tube at spacedintervals along the height thereof to separate the colui'nni'nto a plurality ofshort columns and providesupports for the short columns, combined with meanstokeep the material in theishort columns continuously. in

above set forthwith means to pass a; heated vention. p

in continuous motion and to feed the matelnotion, thus to prevent bridging cit-he ma 1927. Serial no. 197,970,

terial and to insure the graVityQfeedingof themater-ial from an upper column into the" next lower column. :1 i A further object of the invention is the pro vision of a drier and roaster constructed as gas, as air, throughtheentire height of the column and dry and roastthe materiale 1 1 It is also an" object ofthe inventionto provide the roaster with means. to -maint-a-in a v constant supply of material-therein; so'that' dried or roasted material canbe withdrawn; I

in a continuous manner from the bottom of thecolumn. v I V A" further obj ect of the invention is gener f allyto improve the construction and; operag tion of hoppers and continuous driers and roastersu j 1 Fig. 1 is a sectional elevationgof a continuous drier and roaster embodying theine Fig. 2 is a section along line of Fig.3 is a section along line 3,'3, ofFig-;1. FigJk is a perspective detail of one of the arms forrotating theivmaterial.

sections 10', 10 and 10 respectively. A simi lar diaphragm 18 comprises the bottom wall of the lowermost section-10* VAdischarge nozzle or chute l20is disposed beneath said diaphragm 18 :and is adapted to receive the. roasted material in the stack: and. guideit upon the movable conveyor belt 22.

The. lowermost section 1O has aplurali-ty of perforations or openings 24- therein sun- "rounded by a jacket 26; A heated. gas, as hot air, is adapted to enter the space hetween.

said sidewall and'j'acket through a pipe 28' and pass through thenperforations into the lowermost section and thence" upwardly throu h the sections" and the apertures in I the f;d1aphra m. The upper section 10 IiS' providedwit an enlargediportion 30-at its upper end into whichthe roasting gases are adapted to collect and pass from the stack through the discharge pipe 32. The enlarged portion is provided with a cover plate 34: which carries an entrance hopper or chute 36, the lower open end of which extends into the enlarged portion 30 of the upper section. a The top of-the entrance hop-- per is open and material is adapted tobe introduced therein by a conveyor belt 38 or other suitable means to maintain a constant supply of material therein The diaphragms 18, 12, 14 and 16 are provided with suitable discharge apertures 40,

the diaphragms here showntbeing providedwith two elongated and diammetrically opposed apertures as'ishown in Figs. 2 and 3.- Preferably the apertures of diaphragms arestaggered with respect to each other as indicated in Figs. -2 and Sso that the material cannotfall directly down-the stack, and also so that the hot gases will be caused to cir-' 017113136 more uniformly throughout the ma- I terial in each section.- 1

' The material in'each section is adapted to be maintained in} continuous motion by spiders 42 which are supported and rotate upo'n'the diaphragms and have outstanding arms 44 of preferably triangular shape which extend over the diaphragms. into close'prox- .imity with the cylindrical walls of thesecftions. Each spider is provided with a short verticaldriving-shaft 46 and the shafts at V the spiders have a tongue and grooveconne'ction with each other so that all shafts are drivenjointly. I This arrangement facilitates the assembling and disassembling of the stack. The-uppermost shaft 46'is extended through the'entr'ance hopper 36 and has-a bearingingthe spider 48 carried by said en- 'trance hopper and is adapted to be slowly rotated by a continuously driven shaft 50 through suitable reduction gearing. The speed of rotation of the'spijders together with theispeed of thefconveyorbelt- 2 2;determines the rate at iwhich the material is passed through the stack; 'The height of the stack sections-are adaptedtobe such.

that' 'for a given material theweight of the material supported by the diaphragm of each section is sufficiently small toprevent" the packing ofthematerial therein so that,

while the stack maybe relatively high, each diaphragm 5 supports only the relatively small weight of "material in its section. With .a' properre'lation between the diameter andheight of the section for a specificma-- terial, as when theheight of the sectionsis approximately equal to the. diameter there.- of; the spiders cause the mass, of ntiaterialtorotate as a unit upon the diaphragms and. thus: effectively prevent thejbridgingof the materialand insureconstant feeding ofthe" material-at a'uniformrate through the aperturesinthe diphragmsj, When the height of. v the; sections is sufliciently great as for.

instance, when the height materially exceeds the "hot gases; The "diaphragms are provid ed with a suflicient numberof apertures 40 to insure an adequate flow of gases upwardly through the sections; and the rotation of the material in thesections combined with the staggeringjof the apertures in the diaphrag'ms serves to bring all particlesflof the material in contact wththe gases.

When the'apparatusis to be used as a hopper for the storageand delivery of' inaterial, it isobviousthat the means for circulating heated gases through the stackcan" "be-dispensed with and for: certain purposes the'co'nveyor belt 22 also. t

The construction may Ebesotherwise mat the invention. V "Tclaim: 1 y

no fied withoutwidepartin'g from thespirit of;

. 1 Apparatus ofthe class described comprising-a vertical cylindrical stack composed.

of a pluralityof superimposed sections, apertured diaphragms separating the sectionsgthe sidewalls of the-lowermost section above the i lowermost diaphragmbeing verticaland hav T I ing: openings therethrough; a jacket surrounding the opening, means to passa heated, v. gas into said jacket and through the opening into the lowermost sectiomimeans -to withdraw gas'from the uppermostisection an en-" trance for material into the .uppermostsection; a discharge duct disposed beneath the diaphragm of'thelowermost section, and armed spiders rotatable over said diaphragms and the apertures therein.

2.". Apparatus: ofthe; class describedcOm- V prising a vertical cylindrical stack having a' plurality .of r superimposed 'detachably-con nected sections; .apertured j diaphragms se a rating'sald -sections,.-and a sectional shaft'exe tended co axially'through said stack and the diaphragms'and having outstanding arms rojtatable' oversaid diaphragm and the apertures therein, eachshaft fsectionhavingapproximately the heightiof the stack-section in whicliit is located and carryingits armsat thelowerend thereof; said shaft-sectionshav-' ing intermeshing toothed ends by which the sections are connected indriving relation. 4 i 3. iThe method .of' treating granular mate; rial for .roasting it by the use of a vertical eylindrical stack composedofapluralityrof vertical cylindrical sections having horizontal diaphragms' which separate the sections, each diaphragm having an; apertq eiherein, with:

V of said masses to the diaphragm-apertures so that the material can flow continuously theresupported on the next lower one at verticallythe apertures in the diaphragms being staggered, and a vertical rotatable shaft extended co axially through said stack and said dia phragms and having fixed thereto outwardlyextendecl arms which closely overlie the top faces of said diaphragms, which method consists in filling the vertical sections so full of s granular material that the material over an aperture in an upper diaphragm is supported by the material in the next lower section, withdrawing material from the lowermost section, whereby some support is removed from the material in the next upper section and material therefrom is caused to flow'into the next lower section, and rotating said shaft with its arms and thereby the cylindrical masses of material in the sections, whereby to present continuously new bottom-portions through when its support on the material in the next lower section is decreased by the withdrawal of material therefrom,

4. The method of treating granular material for roasting it which consists in forming a plurality of co-axially aligned vertical col-' umns, an upper one of which is only partially staggered eccentric places, withdrawing ma terial from the lowermost column so thatsome rial which consists in supporting a portion 7 support is removed from the next upper col- 7 umn and material is caused to flow from the next upper to the next lower column to restore r the support, and rotating the column so'that new portions of the bottoms thereof are continuously presented to the supporting places and thereby to cause material of the column to flow continuously from one column to the next lower column inproportion as material is withdrawn from the columns port therefor is removed.

5. The method of treating granular'mateof one side of the bottom column-of the material upon the top of a lower column of the same material, withdrawing material from the lower column, and thereby removing some support from the upper column and causing material from the uppercolumn to flow downwardly onto the top of the lower column to restore the support, and rotating the upper column so as to present successive portions thereof to be supported by and to flow downwardly upon said lower column.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. 7

JOHN BUNCE.

and the sup- 

